Grace and Mercy: The Narrative of an Alcoholic

By Rick Barklee

Grace and Mercy is a story which both personifies and exemplifies exactly what the word insanity means--an act or action of continuously repeating a nonproductive action over and over, again and again, expecting a productive result or outcome. As our story opens, we discover a young male child in the early stage of adolescence who succumbs to peer pressure and starts to experiment with mind- and mood-altering substances. As his story progresses, he does too throughout the varying stages of adolescence. He graduates high school and soon afterward volunteers into the military. After serving three years in active duty, he receives an honorable discharge. Back at home, however, he becomes unsure of himself as he experiences the responsibility of trying to hold down a job. He has readjustment issues as he transitions back into civilian life. While struggling to cope, he also questions his identity; was he still that teenager or an adult returning home? In his quest to find the answer, he turns to alcohol. But as matters start worsening, like missing work, always short on cash and low on gas, instead of recognizing alcohol as the problem and not the solution, he continuously drinks over and over, repeatedly getting intoxicated and still expecting a new and different result or outcome. What happens next? Be informed, and read the story!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 6, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662459085

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Grace and Mercy

The Narrative of an Alcoholic

Rick Barklee

Copyright © 2022 Rick Barklee

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2022

ISBN 978-1-6624-5907-8 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-5908-5 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 1

I was born in the city that rests on Lake Erie inside the state of Ohio in 1952 on the fifteenth day of September. I have two sisters, and I am the middle child. My daddy and mama had been joined happily in holy matrimony in November of 1942. I recall Mama being the most wonderful, kind, gentle, and loving stay-at-home parent as could be. Mama died at the age of seventy-two in 1993. My daddy was a strict, hardworking man but also a terrific provider, always meeting the needs and most of the wants for his wife and three children. Daddy died at the age of seventy-nine in 1998.

Growing up, I never saw Mama or Daddy drink alcohol, but there were some heavy drinkers on both sides of the family, probably even a few alcoholics too! However, my daddy did smoke cigarettes, but I remember back in 1965 when I was in middle school, Daddy left home one night, going to his midnight-shift job. The next day, he came home, and I never saw him smoke cigarettes again. Thirty-three years until his death, he remained smoke free.

The year 1965 was also an eventful year for me too! On my birthday, I turned thirteen years old. I started wearing prescription eyeglasses, and Daddy taught me how to drive his car. Unfortunately, it was also the year I started experimenting with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other drugs. Thus began my lifelong battle with alcohol. Out of all the other mind- and mood-altering substances and chemicals I experimented with in the following five years, alcohol became my primary choice of drug. I was like a fish in the water. I could not get enough of it. Although I indulged only on the weekends, my consumption quickly increased, and my behavior was obnoxious sometimes.

Now let me make it perfectly clear. I was not a bad child; in fact, I was well-mannered throughout elementary school and most of middle school until the end of eighth grade. My transformation began in the ninth grade. By the time I entered the tenth grade, I had become rebellious and insubordinate toward my parents and teachers. My personality had begun to take on a whole new characteristic. I was consuming alcohol on a regular basis. I was in love with the stuff because of the way it made me feel, and I actually enjoyed the taste as well. Ordinarily, I was shy and a quiet person and always self-conscious of my stature, as well as the way I perceived how my eyeglasses made me look. Geeky, I thought. But under the influence of alcohol, it made me feel much bigger than I really